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Bear Grylls: Mission Survive & The Island

pecan

pecan

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Anyone else watching this? It's a little bit like I'm a Celeb, but without the game show element, and only goes for six episodes. The premise of the show is Bear Grylls drops eight celebrities into a Central American jungle and gradually tries to teach them survival skills, voting them off one by one until he picks a winner. The celebrities:

Emilia Fox - Actress, Silent Witness
Laurence Fox - Actor, Lewis
Max George - Singer, The Wanted
Dame Kelly Holmes - Olympian
Jamelia - Singer, Loose Women panellist
Tom Rosenthal - Comedy actor, Plebs
Mike Tindall - Rugby player and royal
Vogue Williams - Model and presenter

The first episode wasn't too tough on them, but I would guess they're just warming up. I didn't mind it, and especially watching it at the same time as I'm a Celeb as a comparison.
 
Reality shows are always better when they have a point, plus Bear Grylls shows are generally decent television, plus a great cast as well. Enjoyed it far more than "I'm A Celebrity, Let's Sit Around in Camp until I'm evicted to a 5 Star Hotel!"
 
I've just finished watching the second episode. I'm enjoying this, it's true enough to its premise of being a survivalist show, but without being too taxing to watch at only one episode a week. And it's a good cast, mostly sensible, intelligent enough people who are all giving it a good go, rather than the reality show contestants you get on IAC who squeal at everything and refuse to do things. Even with Jamelia, she might suffer from the comparison on this show, but she is still doing everything. She wouldn't be the worst on IAC.

First out:

Max. I think it was probably the right decision if he was being careless with knives and ignoring advice on knot-tying etc. Jamelia got a reprieve for a week, and unless someone else stuffs up (Mike?), you would have to pick her as the most likely to be next out. Though her post-show interviews make it sound like she stays a little longer?
 
He stuck to his word when it came to eliminations about it being about the ability to survive, though I think if you were thinking about them being out there on their own it might be a different story.

Agree it's a great series and the first celebrity reality show in a while where the cast is largely somewhat familar to me. When it's random unknown model vs random unknown second cousin of somebody who once slept with the half-sister of the aunty of a celebrities' next door neighbour the investment just isn't there.
 
He did a show like this in the U.S. where there were teams of family members. It wasn't successful. There was a ton of product placement and I'm not sure how much he taught them. This concept sounds better.

I am a huge fan of Laurence Fox and I hope he wins.
 
Thought the final of this was a bit flat but happy it has been recommissioned by ITV.

Meanwhile his Channel 4 series The Island has returned this week and is effectively two series in one. The concept is that 14 people are abandoned on an island for 6 weeks and film everything themselves, with them only contacting production in the event of an emergency or someone quitting. Having done the series last year with just men this year they have a men's island and a women's island, with the men's version airing on Wednesdays and the Women's on Thursdays. It isn't a competition, just an experience, but one of my favourite shows from last year as it harks back to the early days of reality TV.
 
OMG I love The Island... So there are 2 episodes a week. I read that NBC was going yo do a US version of this, I wonder how that will turn out.
 
The Island finished this week and it's easily the best reality show around at the moment as it has very minimal interference from producers. Even if some of the animals and resources are planted by production (and they've made no secret of that) it really is much more rewarding to watch them have to catch, kill and cook than just win a meal by completing a task set by production. With no competition element too the bonds and the friction seems much more genuine too.

Also think it worked really well having the mens and womens islands in separate episodes rather than constantly switching from one island to the next.
 
The Island on Monday nights, women, men, is this new?
Or have you guys watched this series before?

I am loving it, far better than any other RTV lately. And they are such fools, with no sense of direction. I sometimes wonder if Americans ever go outside, they are so clueless about ordinary common sense stuff, like the direction of the sun
 
KIK said:
The Island on Monday nights, women, men, is this new?
Or have you guys watched this series before?

I am loving it, far better than any other RTV lately. And they are such fools, with no sense of direction. I sometimes wonder if Americans ever go outside, they are so clueless about ordinary common sense stuff, like the direction of the sun
Click to expand...
Last year was the first season... Only with men, this year they have two islands. One for women and the other for me. I loved this show.

Are you watching the US version or the original UK version?
 
A little bit of news about the UK one which I'm not exactly thrilled about but they're looking at doing a celeb version as well next year as part of the Stand up to Cancer events in September.
 
Inigo Montoya said:
Last year was the first season... Only with men, this year they have two islands. One for women and the other for me. I loved this show.

Are you watching the US version or the original UK version?
Click to expand...

Oh dear, my boo boo, of course these people are Brits - how could I forget the very bothered chunky dude fighting with the old codger before they both depart.

So, yes it is the UK show, no idea if it is new or a repeat, says new show on SBS guide.

Oh those women, wandering in circles for days, and finally the camp group have enough brains to find them.

Anyway, enjoyable viewing.
 
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